La Casa Norte

Results: In our first 10 years, we have helped more than 20,000 homeless and at-risk individuals in more than 43 neighborhoods around Chicago.

Target demographics: youth and families experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Direct beneficiaries per year: 21,811 community members agencywide.

Geographic areas served: disinvested West and South Side Chicago communities.

Programs: We provide housing and support services for at-risk and homeless youth and families. We provide scattered site permanent supportive housing for homeless youth and families. Clients live in private apartments located throughout the city. We offer many support services to accompany their needs. This includes life skills training, therapy, community building and the basic needs of food, clothing, and transportation. We also provide temporary housing for up to 16 homeless male youth at Solid Ground, Chicago’s first bilingual, male-intentional supportive housing program for homeless youth, ages 16-21. These youth have their own private room with shared common space, including a kitchen, dining room, community and workout room and computer lab. Solid Ground provides support services for life skill training, education, mentoring, employment services and therapy. Many of our youth and families need resources to accompany their transition from homelessness into housing with the goal of creating long-term stability. In addition to our services of life skills training, case management and therapy, we also provide the basic needs of food, clothing and transportation. We have an extensive network of collaborative human service organizations throughout the city, that we refer our clients to for services such as mental health, substance use treatment, medical healthcare, day care, legal and employment training. We offer homeless youth and families free bilingual and culturally sensitive case management, housing advocacy, and homeless prevention services. In addition, we provide community access to a computer lab, a clothing closet, food donations, phone and fax along with counseling and life-goal planning. Through the generosity of individual donors, La Casa Norte makes available gently used clothing for men, women and children of all ages. Casa Corazon is a homeless youth engagement program that works with youth who are experiencing homelessness and/or housing instability in Chicago. Casa Corazon offers outreach services coupled with a drop-in center and case management resources, to help move youth from the streets and into stable housing, employment and educational achievement.